TOKYO — Yusen Logistics has become the first Japanese freight company to receive halal certification in Indonesia, part of an effort to expand in a fast-growing region with a large Muslim population.

The Nippon Yusen group member’s system for shipping goods to and from Indonesia by air or sea was recently recognized as compliant with Islamic law by the Indonesian Council of Ulama’s Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics. Yusen Logistics’ Indonesian operations employ staff well-versed in the necessary handling methods, such as using trucks for pickup and transport that meet the council’s requirements.

The company received halal certification for warehousing and transportation services in Malaysia in 2015 — also a first for a Japanese logistics enterprise — and built Thailand’s first halal-compliant warehouse in April. Yusen Logistics will work to get certified elsewhere in Southeast Asia as well, aiming to capitalize on an expected rise in shipping demand from a growing middle class in a region that is the company’s biggest profit center.